Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Second Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Second graders explore convection currents and how they relate to the movement of tectonic plates. Then, young geologists reconstruct Pangaea with a worksheet and pinpoint plate boundaries on a map...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Understanding Wave Motion - Slinky vs. Snaky: Which Spring is Dominant?
Ride the wave to an understanding of refraction! The first in a series of two inquiry-based lessons challenges learners to create transverse waves with two different types of springs. As their wave hits an object, they observe the change...
Utah Beef Council
Beef Unit and Lab Plan
What are the proper methods for cooking various cuts of beef? What are some basic rules regarding meat food safety? Here you'll find 10 lab plans with a variety of beef cookery activities, perfect for a home economics or cooking course.
American Chemical Society
Entropy and Enthalpy Changes
My room isn't messy — it's a scientific experiment in entropy! Scholars investigate entropy, enthalpy, and spontaneity through a guided procedure and set of questions. The lesson connects the Second Law of Thermodynamics, energy...
Curated OER
Fuel Cell Experimentation
With rising oil prices and increasing concerns over global warming, the pressure is on for engineers to develop alternative sources of energy. Among the new technologies being developed are hydrogen fuel cells, which young scientists...
Chymist
Pressure-Volume Relationships: Experiments with 140-mL Syringe
Learners examine Boyle's Law by analyzing experimental results with a hands-on lesson that provides a set of four experiments that illustrate the relationship between pressure and volume of gases. Groups analyze results using...
American Chemical Society
Energy and Entropy of a Stretched Rubber Band
Stephen Perry invented and patented the modern rubber band in 1845. Young scientists put his discovery to work as they use rubber bands to observe entropy and enthalpy. They determine the change in free energy to figure out if it...
Cornell University
Extracting DNA
Uncover the basics of DNA structure through exploration activities. Collaborative groups build DNA models and recreate the process of replication. Then, using plant cells such as peas or strawberries, they extract a DNA sample.
Cornell University
Atomic Bonding
Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...
American Chemical Society
Exothermic, Endothermic, and Chemical Change
Scientists can't observe bonds breaking or forming, so how do they distinguish between exothermic and endothermic reactions? Young scholars complete two experiments to do just that. They monitor temperature change and calculate the...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Lines on Paper - Laser Box
See what you cannot see by getting a little creative. An intriguing lesson has learners use lasers to explore X-ray diffraction. Given a box with unknown structures, they shine a laser through the box and interpret the results....
Columbus City Schools
It’s All Relative
Are the people on the other side of the world standing upside down? Pupils discuss the relationship between movement and position words. The unit explores the concept of reference points through animation, modeling, photography, and...
Chymist
Tritration: Standardization of a Base and Analysis of Stomach Antacid Tablets
Do antacid tablets really do what they claim? An experimental lesson attempts to answer this question. Individuals practice the process of titration during the first part of the experiment. They then use those skills to neutralize an...
Biology Junction
Strawberry DNA
Humans eat around 93,205 miles of DNA in an average meal. Scholars learn how to extract DNA from a strawberry using a presentation. It walks through each step and explains why the process works. Comprehension questions encourage...
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #9 - Properties of Solar Radiation: Reflection, Transmission, and Absorption
Middle school science stars observe and record data on the solar radiation reflected off or transmitted through various materials. They predict properties for various materials, and test their predictions by touch. This lesson becomes...
Curated OER
Food Safety Lab-Part 3 Cross Contamination andHygiene
Students observe the effect of croos contamination as they inoculate orange juice with penicillin mold from the refrigeration lab and active yeast solution from the sterilization lab. They experience a simulation of passing bacteria...
Curated OER
The Conservation Of Mass (The Mass Of Gas)
Middle schoolers gain an understanding of matter in all of its phases. For this science lesson plan, students further their knowledge of the laws of conservation of mass, the loss in mass can be accounted for, when the gas is allowed to...
Curated OER
Enzyme Labs Using Jello
Students test for the presence of enzymes in fruit and the specificity of those enzymes, as well as to identify and show the susceptibility of enzymes to certain environmental factors (temperature and pH) originating in the enzyme's...
Curated OER
The Scientific Method
Students connect the scientific method to real world situations. In this scientific method lesson, students discuss the work of Dr. Renshaw in making a diagnosis and connected to the scientific method. Students view a website video...
Curated OER
Cooperative Learning Experience Through the Flipping Lid Demo
Students create a cartoon illustrating a lab demonstration. For this lab safety lesson, the teacher demonstrates a small methane explosion to demonstrate the importance of safety in a laboratory setting, then students work in groups to...
Curated OER
Science Safety is Elementary
Third graders are introduced to the importance of science safety. As a class, they role play through different safety procedures and decide which senses need to be protected for different scenerios. They discuss how to avoid hazardous...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Organic Molecules Day—Chemistry Outreach
In search of an organic lab that employs real-life techniques and analysis methods? Groups carry out the nitration of methyl benzoate, then attempt to determine the number and location of the nitro groups added to the benzene ring....
Cornell University
Sometimes You Behave Like a WAVE, Sometimes You Don't!
Electromagnetic radiation behaves like both a wave and a particle. Help classes explore this concept through a lab investigation. Young scientists create optical interference patterns on a glass slide using a carbon layer. They analyze...
Forest Foundation
Fire Investigation and Experimentation
Assess the probability of a wildfire with several lessons about fire danger ratings and risk factors. After experimenting with fuel moisture, learners explore the various elements that could contribute to a wildfire, such as wind...